Category: Bath

True mid-century men The Rolling Stones said it best: “You can’t always get what you want….but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” Back in December I wrote a post titled, “Bathroom Bewilderment” where I bemused my boring guest bathroom. Here’s a photo of the room at the time:

Bland Bathroom

And here’s a photo of what I’d like that room to look like someday, however impossible it may be:

Renovated “after” pic of work by designer Gina De Pasquale.

So this last week, I had a few extra bucks in my pocket as I walked through Home Goods. $30 dollars later, I had a splash of color in my guest bathroom, and truthfully that’s really all I needed.

Well it ain’t boring anymore, that’s for sure.

Shower Curtain and super smooshy rug purchased at HomeGoods.

The brightly colored towels I had already. They were purchased at Wal-Mart.

Hand soap by Orla Kiely for Target

Picture to tie all the colors together was a gift from my folks….many moons ago.

I plan on being here for a very long time. Until which point our family decides some renovation is absolutely necessary, this will do us just fine. We have everything we need.

Got an email this week from Jonathan Adler appropriately titled: “Liven Your Loo.” How do those advertising campaigns always come exactly when I need them? I was just thinking this morning how very dull our downstairs bathroom is. It’s our guest bathroom, and it’s one of the few spots in the house I’ve yet to tackle. I’m still thinking about color scheme and trying to find ideas…

How quirky and cool would one of these rugs be?

Zebra bathmats available at jonathanadler.com

Being that I’m ALWAYS on a budget, I decided to check out what else Jonathan Adler had to offer me at this “bath sale.”

Love the rugs….I get the price tag on those ($88). I wouldn’t pay that much for a bath mat but I get why someone else might: they’re one-of-a-kind!

However, the more I perused the site, the more I wondered if I could find affordable equivalents at one of my usual haunts…..say….Target?

Target carries designer items….certainly I could find something there. Well, friends, you know I did! Target’s version was their own basic brand “Room Essentials.” Not designer, but my in humble opinion, comparable.

No comparison you say? Well, maybe this one’s a stretch. The Jonathan Adler version is better looking. I’ll give you that. But stay with me for a moment: remember we’re talking about bathroom accessories here. I won’t remind you what goes IN TO the trashcan. When you remember its’ primary function, the materials and finish don’t quite seem to matter as much.

The difference between the above bath trays (besides the glaringly obvious difference in price) is materials. Target’s tray is made with plastic, J.A’s with acrylic.

Do you think your bathroom items will notice the difference? Do you think your guests will turn the tray over to determine it’s maker? Um…no.

Will your bank account notice the difference? It certainly will.

My little adventure in comparisons this week serves as an excellent reminder that you don’t have to spend gobs of money to dress up a room. Don’t be a dumb diva. Shop around. 😉 A friendly reminder from my home to yours.

You cannot attend a family gathering with my relatives and not be subjected to talk of politics, religion, and yes, a little bit of potty humor. It’s a fact- almost nothing is off-limits at Thanksgiving and Christmas and this year, I will be hosting 32 family members for Christmas Eve dinner. A few posts ago, I wrote about a bathroom design dilemma where the question was begged, “what to do with the guest bathroom?” Well, below you shall find my answer. Not having time, money or energy for a bathroom update at this point – I have instead chosen to decorate it for the holidays with a nod to the ultimate purpose of a restroom.

I searched the internet for “toilet-paper roll wreath tutorials” and all that came up were these creative and quite beautiful versions:

This is an example of one of the results I found on google. This particular wreath can be found on moneysavingmom.com

Not at all what I was looking for. I wanted something more organic shall we say? Do you know where I found my template? A photo on a Christmas card at Walmart. (Don’t judge. They’re rolling back prices. Plus, it’s great people watching.)

So my gift to you this Christmas is my very own DIY tutorial on how to make an awesome Toilet Paper Roll wreath for about one dollar. You’re welcome.

You will need:

Floral Wire ($1)

Assorted toilet paper rolls

Super glue

Garland of your choosing. I had some plastic mistletoe laying around, which I used on my wreath

I doubled up on my floral wire to make it a bit sturdierOnce you have enough rolls on your first row, twist those ends together.

My wreath was not nearly classy enough with one strand!

Resist the temptation to wipe your butt with the rolls. They will NOT stick together better that way.

Here’s where the superglue comes in. The second layer is built the same way, nestled inside the outer layer.

DRUMROLL PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Isn’t it LOVELY!?This is how my bathroom will be decorated this year. Merry Christmas!

The more I think about the holidays, family, and hosting thirty people on Christmas Eve for the first time in my life, the more I begin to wig out. Not about food or anything like that….crazytown (me) had the menu figured out directly after Thanksgiving. No…No…I’m thinking about how bland my guest bathroom is. I can’t help it. But when you spend as much time as I do in the bathroom -wait, eeeew I have a preschooler, not irritable bowel syndrome – you get to thinking about these things. So as we sing-songily wash “top and bottom, top and bottom, in between! in between!” (sung to the tune of ‘here comes thumbkin’) my mind wanders from sterile hands to sterile surroundings.

Case in point:

Builder Beige with Edgar Degas print I’ve had FOREVER. There’ll be no lines for this loo!Bland Bathroom with some MCM art glass thrown up in the window for your pooping privacy. Creative, I know. Don’t be mad. It’s genetic.Ah, the token Target orchid. Beige and white seems to be the only theme here. Time for a change.

Do you see what I mean, people? SO BLAH, right? I want my bathroom to have SOME sort of personality or color, or interest or something! It’s no secret that I am incredibly thrifty, so I remembered that I have a gallon of medium turquoise paint in the garage that’s never been opened – but the thought of such a bright color scares even me, so I’m blogging to solicit suggestions. Huge growth on my part here. Waiting. Thinking. Before. Doing.

My “problem” propelled me to do some research online for inspiration. Sexy mid-century bathroom alert! This will never happen for me, but it’s fun to dream:

Here’s a reno picture of the bathroom that shall never be: done by designer Gina De Pasquale.

So facing the have-not-for-ridiculously-expensive-renovation conundrum, the geometric pattern of the tiles pictured above got me thinking: What if I could find a wallpaper to give that same effect? I know….I know…most of us have learned the hard way just what a pain in the butt wallpaper can be. But what if it was mid-century-esque, slightly irresistable and eco-friendly? Houzz.com lead me to these hot names in wallpaper:

Makelike.com has some pretty cool prints that will make you feel like you’re ‘making’ in the woods. (I had to.)

see Makelike.comSeek out Graham & Brown for more serious sh, er- sitting.

Okay, no more potty humor.

These next four are from my favorite wallpaper website for MCM. Missprint.co.uk.